I admit, it’s not fair to put so much on two young people who are basically kids. Just because they are celebrities and high profile doesn’t mean they won’t do stupid things. We have to keep that in mind.

But I also admit that looking at Rihanna’s bruised and bloodied face, it stirs painful memories of picking up my girlfriend after her boyfriend jumped all over her. I especially remember how crush I was when she went back to him. I pray this doesn’t shape what kids learn about abusive relationships…since they tend to emulate what happens with their favorite celebrities.

@ Kenya: Fortunately for women, “empowerment” doesn’t begin or end with Rihanna. For every enabler out there, I’m counting on there being at least one woman who will stand up to this blatant perpetuation of dominating patriarchy. The unfortunate thing was that the world’s eye was on this story. Rather than making an example out of Brown on what NOT to do with women, Rihanna caved in. Battered syndrome all over again.

@ Javar: My empathy is gone as well. It’s pretty pitiful, IMO.

@ Tera: I appreciate you protecting their youth. Really, I do. But I disagree with your assessment. Here’s why:

(1) When put in certain overwhelming situations, some people grow up a lot faster than others. Immediately coming to mind are instances where youngsters serve in direct combat, teenagers becoming parents (some of them, anyway. Many teenage parents are still knuckleheads), or when people are thrusted into the celebrity limelight. In age, they are still kids: yes. But they’ve experienced things that most adults never will.

(3) Because of the celebrity status you just mentioned, it was important for Rihanna to make a louder statement on behalf of the millions of voiceless people to whom this has also happened. Let’s face facts: as bad as it might sound for me to say this, sometimes its best when a tragedy happens to a celebrity. Issues that would have been a moot point or not as a frequently discussed turn into big deals once they involve celebrities. Drug overdosing wasn’t necessarily newsworthy until Heath Ledger died from it. Stem cell research has always been a talked about issue, but when Muhammad Ali, Christopher Reeves, and Michael J. Fox developed their diseases, the cause REALLY started gaining momentum. Harry Connick, Jr. and Bransford Maralis (New Orleans residents) were quick to launch post-Katrina rebuilding efforts likely because it was their hometown. My point is: when something happens to a celebrity, they have the ability, the resources, and the platform to raise awareness as activists. Rihanna did the opposite with her platform. If anything, she merely propogated the VERY IDEA that I was suggesting in my first piece: that women love and openly embrace the bad boy (even if Chris Brown wasn’t a bad boy then, he is now).

I hate even wasting time with celebrity gossip, but I agree with your take Andre. If those two wind up being back together, it suggests the frightening message to youngsters across the country that battery is acceptable as long an apology comes afterward.

It’s one thing for them to give it time, lots of counseling, and then getting back together. But its only been…what…two weeks and they’re “back together?” I’m hoping that “back together” is code for “back on speaking terms, enough for them to go to counseling.” Anything more than that would be a travesty considering what he did to her. Those kinds of aggressive tendencies don’t fester overnight. Nor are they remedied overnight.

i’m shocked also. TD Jakes was talking about this today in his sermon. he didn’t specifically mention their names, but he was talking about how boys will see their mothers getting abused by their fathers, and how it angers them to the point that they begin to do the same things to women because of what they’ve seen and know, and because of the pent-up anger within them. hopefully, the youth following Rihanna and Chris Brown won’t think this kind of behavior is acceptable just because Rihanna has accepted it.